5F-03 - Uptake of Oncology-Related Biosimilars: A Global Analysis of Usage Data

Background: Biologics have greatly improved cancer management but are costly. Biosimilars cost less and do not have clinically meaningful differences compared to reference products. However, they are not identical, leading to some hesitation among clinicians and patients to use them.

Objectives: To measure the uptake of oncology-related biosimilars versus their reference products in Canada and comparable countries.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of drug purchases from 13 countries between October 2022 and September 2023 for five oncology-related biologics with biosimilars: bevacizumab, filgrastim, pegfilgrastim, rituximab, and trastuzumab. The analysis used IQVIA MIDAS® sales data.

Results: Among the 13 countries, Canada ranked seventh in proportion of oncology-related biosimilar uptake in units sold (89% versus a median of 87% across all countries). Specifically, biosimilar uptake for pegfilgrastim was 99% (versus 83%), filgrastim was 92% (versus 95%), trastuzumab was 89% (versus 70%), bevacizumab was 87% (versus 87%), and rituximab was 75% (versus 93%). Additionally, Canada ranked sixth in proportion of biosimilar spending (78% versus 76%). In our study period, Canada spent USD $488 million on the five oncology-related biologics. In general, European countries had the highest uptake: Norway, UK, Italy, and Sweden. By contrast, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, and the USA had the lowest uptake. Across countries, biosimilar filgrastim had the highest uptake (95% of units) and trastuzumab the lowest (70%).

Conclusions: Among comparable countries, oncology-related biosimilar uptake in Canada was above-average. Further research examining time trends can help reveal the impact of barriers and enablers of biosimilar uptake across countries.